Agassi goes through after five-set match; Razzano upsets Hingis
NEW YORK -- Andre Agassi, 36 years old and burdened by a bad back, extended his career for at least one more match by winning a thriller over eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 at the U.S. Open.
Agassi, buoyed by a cortisone injection and the raucous, sellout crowd, traded stinging strokes for nearly four hours as Thursday night became Friday.
In the end it was the 21-year-old Baghdatis who broke down physically, his body contorted by cramps in both thighs during an eight-deuce, four-break-point game that Agassi eventually held to lead 5-4 in the fifth set. Later, Baghdatis used the chair umpire's stand to stretch his aching legs.
Agassi was still hustling to reach seemingly unreachable shots, responding with winners, and skipping out to the baseline to start games at his record 21st consecutive Open -- one for each year of Baghdatis' life.
When it was over, they shook hands at the net, then embraced. And Agassi was quick to thank the 23,700 or so fans who enjoyed quite a ride at Flushing Meadows.
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| Martina Hingis, who won the U.S. Open in 1997, suffers the earliest loss of her career at this event. (Getty Images) |
Baghdatis' very first serve of the second-round encounter was a fault, eliciting hoots from the stands. Moments later, a fan in the upper deck yelled: "Andre, this is your house! And it's all of us against him!"
As if there were any doubt. Agassi is, after all, an American at the American Grand Slam, one of the most popular players in recent tennis history -- and everyone knows each match here could be his last as a pro. That final part is also why Agassi went to the hospital this week for the latest in a series of shots to dull pain from a troublesome sciatic nerve; he could barely stand after his first-round victory over Andrei Pavel.
Against Baghdatis, Agassi missed consecutive backhands to get broken in the fifth set's opening game. Agassi wiped sweat from his brow, shook his head and trudged slowly toward the sideline. Was the end near? But with the lead -- and momentum -- finally on Baghdatis' side, it was youngster who asked for a medical timeout so he could get his strained left thigh massaged.
Agassi took a seat and sighed, while the crowd chanted, "Let's go, Andre!" And there was nothing wrong with Agassi's back when he stretched for a low volley at a sharp angle to break right back in the next game. Agassi shook his fist and clenched his teeth, still spry after all these years.
He had appeared to be in control after the first two sets since he had won all 58 matches at the Open with that size lead. And Agassi was up 4-0 in the fourth set, before winners began to come more frequently from the racket of Baghdatis, who knew his role going in, saying: "Sure, I'm the bad guy for tonight."
Now comes this third-round matchup: Agassi vs. Becker. A classic right? Well, not quite. It's Benjamin Becker (no relation to Boris), a 25-year-old qualifier from Germany who's ranked 112th and has won zero tour titles. Becker knocked off No. 30 Sebastien Grosjean in straight sets.
Get past that, and Agassi could face Andy Roddick in the round of 16.
In women's play, Martina Hingis, the five-time Grand Slam champion back on tour after a three-year retirement, was upset 6-2, 6-4 by 112th-ranked Virginie Razzano of France in the biggest upset of the Open so far.
Hingis came into the day with a 44-14 mark this season, with none of the losses to anyone ranked lower than 23rd. Ten of her setbacks came against women who've won major championships.
"It's not only that she played well, but I didn't play good," Hingis said. "I was a little flat and tired mentally. It just wasn't my day."
Plus, it was the earliest U.S. Open defeat of Hingis' career; she won the 1997 title, reached two other finals here and never had lost before the fourth round. Razzano, in contrast, never has been past the third round at this or any other major. She began the week with a 9-17 record in 2006, including first-round losses at the French Open and Wimbledon.
"I played my game," said Razzano, who lost both of her previous matchups with Hingis in straight sets.
Lindsay Davenport had no trouble dispatching Jelena Kostanic 6-0, 6-0.
"These days don't happen that often, so you have to be happy when they come your way," said Davenport, who arrived in New York with right arm problems but hasn't shown any signs of distress. "Some days, everything just seems to be working."
Maria Sharapova, who lost the first point of her match against Frenchwoman Emilie Loit, then won 29 of the next 31 en route to a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Svetlana Kuznetsova beat 16-year-old Lauren Albanese of the United States 6-1, 6-1, while Justine Henin-Hardenne eliminated 17-year-old Vania King of the United States 6-1, 6-2. Serena Williams recovered to beat Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 7-5, 6-3.
Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France cruised past America's Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States 6-4, 6-3.
There weren't many tough tests in the men's draw, although No. 27-seeded Gael Monfils lost to Wesley Moodie, and two-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal dropped a set before getting past Luis Horna.
